Saturday, August 02, 2008

AAP's 98th Annual @Andy Warhol Museum

Associated Artists of Pittsburgh opened the most recent edition of their Annual exhibit last night.The exhibit, which has been placed in major museum venues in Pittsburgh for ninety-eight years, is showing at the Andy Warhol Museum. Last night's opening featured a performance by none other than Tinsel Garland, who began the performance in this glitzy number -

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... and ended in this wonderful pierogie-embellished babydoll --

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Of course, the main action was upstairs on the sixth floor, where the exhibit is displayed. Honestly, the show was cramped. I know that survey shows can present a challenge for installers and this one must have been tough to hang. There were tons of people, but I got there fairly early and managed to get a few decent images of the work on display. Following are a few favorites.

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David Watts

I liked this very exuberant work by Mr. Watts. I am sorry that I can't offer a title; I looked for a label but must have missed it last night. This piece seems like a cross between a totem and a robot, or maybe a transformer! Anyway, just a very fun work. I also want to congratulate Mr. Watts on his award.

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Elizabeth C. DeVita - Shift (Baby blanket relief in plexi)

This work struck me because I thought it beautiful. I am drawn to intricate work. This one sets up a dichotomy for me, with its clean and formal beauty coupled with the frayed edges. It brings to mind the soft scraps saved from a long ago childhood.

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Jean McClung - Alleanza #1

This very small offering by Jean McClung is a stunner. She brings a different subtext to her subject matter with the illumination. The graffiti that she chooses seems to be destructing in the light. At times, the quality of illumination serves to accentuate the ephemeral quality of these urban mark makers. It seems another dichotomy, to preserve the transitory in this fashion.

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Lauren Etling - Anatomy of a Nervous Breakdown

Okay, if nervous breakdowns are fun, then I guess the title makes sense...
Enough Susan! I really like this work. But, since I am an egocentric viewer, I absolutely refuse to see this as a narrative about some mental disaster. I am sure that some of the things that I enjoy about the piece, like it's tension, the rhythms of nodules in the network, can be interpreted to support the title. But honestly, it seems so improbably balanced and I just get this sense of the whimsical. There ya go. Self centered, opinionated commentary. Whadaya want for nuthin'? Rubber biscuits maybe?

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Jacqueline Will - Rose Theory #2

This one, because I found the patterning intriguing. Also, the red! Nicely complex pigment -

That's all folks. If you want to catch the exhibit --

AAP's 98th Annual
Aug 1 - Sept 14
Andy Warhol Museum
117 Sandusky Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212-5890
Telephone: 412.237.8300

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hello! whimsical is exactly what i was going for with this piece (anatomy of a nervous breakdown). biology is a favorite subject of mine, and i enjoy making biological looking sculptures, but giving them a whimsical personality. i hoppe you liked the show and enjoyed the opening.

-lauren etling

Susan Constanse said...

I did, very much! And I am glad that I wasn't too far off the mark! Thanks for dropping in, Lauren.

Anonymous said...

Susan - Thanks for the blog spot. We appreciate the favorable attention and images being posted.

We were not so happy with the amount of space given the exhibition but our overall visiblity is truly excellent as the Warhol is a world-wide destination.

David Watts' work is called Recycled Totems. There is one title card for the 2 totem pieces, near right-most totem, & near Alleanza #1.

Informal talks are being given by award winners during the exhibit, at Warhol, on some Saturdays and Sundays, 1-2:30 PM, in the gallery area on floor 6. It's a nice way to learn more about the artist's work and thinking processes.

Aug. 9 - Marcia Comer, Wade Kramm
Aug. 10 - Alberto Almarza, Gail Beem, Joyce Werwie Perry
Aug. 23 - Connie Cantor, Elizabeth De Vita
Aug. 24 - Fumino Hora, Lili June Nieland, David Watts
Sept. - Tina Williams Brewer, Matthew Forrest, Shawn Quinlan
Sept. 7 - Ben Matthews, George Roland

Kitty Spangler, Co-Chair, 98th AAP Annual

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Kitty, for dropping by with all of the information about the artists' talks.